Who is Kailash Vijayvargiya?: The journey from an Indore mayor to newsmaker national leader

NEW DELHI: Things are not going well for senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya. Days after the Election Commission objected to his utterances during the model code of conduct period, his wings were clipped by the national leadership. We will track his political journey as well as his personal life, but first will talk about the recent developments surrounding him, because of which he is in the news.

According to media reports, the party has asked the national general secretary to spend more time in Madhya Pradesh than West Bengal, where he is the central co-observer. Bypolls to 28 Madhya Pradesh Assembly seats will be held on November 3 for which the campaigning is on.

This comes on the heels of RSS pracharak Amitava Chakravorty having been appointed the new general secretary (organisation) of the state unit. The step has been taken to curb infighting amid "rift between Dilip Ghosh camp and Mukul Roy camp" even as the 2021 state Assembly polls loom. Roy camp had Vijayvargiya’s support, the report added.

Earlier on Monday, the Election Commission issued a notice to Vijayvargiya for his reported "chunnu-munnu" remark against Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and Kamal Nath, asking him to respond within the next 48 hours.
The notice said the statement made in Sanwer, Indore during an election rally on October 14 against the two was found to be in violation of the provisions of the model code. The notice is based on the report received from the chief electoral officer of Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP leaders had also dubbed them as "gaddar" (traitors).
"Commission gives you an opportunity to explain your stand in making the above said statement within 48 hours of receipt of this notice, failing which the Election Commission of India shall take a decision without further reference to you," the notice said.

According to PTI, Vijayvargiya on Monday termed Congress veteran Kamal Nath as mentally impoverished for his controversial remarks against Madhya Pradesh Minister Imarti Devi.
Addressing a campaign meeting recently for the November 3 election in Gwalior's Dabra town, where the BJP has fielded Imarti Devi, Nath said the Congress candidate was a "simple person" unlike his opponent who was an "item".
The comments of Nath, who is the Madhya Pradesh Congress president, against the BJP minister had created a furore and invited a wave of criticism. The former chief minister later expressed regret over the comments.
'Mentally impoverished'
Kamal Nath is a wealthy person. But he is mentally impoverished. When a person is mentally impoverished, his words become the same," Vijayvargiya told reporters on Monday when asked about Nath’s remarks.
He said, "The manner in which Kamal Nath has shown poorness of words has tarnished Madhya Pradesh's political reputation."
Vijayvargiya claimed that the national and regional leadership of the Congress had lost the confidence of its cadres as its MLAs from Madhya Pradesh continued to join the BJP.
On Sunday, Congress MLA from Damoh Rahul Lodhi joined the BJP after resigning from the assembly, becoming the latest opposition party legislator to switch sides.
"Even now many people, especially young leaders, want to leave the Congress and join the BJP because they are feeling insecure in the Congress as far their political future is concerned," Vijayvargiya claimed.
Denying Congress allegations of horse-trading against the BJP, he said, "They (Congress leaders) are not able to handle their MLAs themselves. In such a scenario, they should not accuse others."
The BJP general secretary said, "If Congress leaders are saying that their workers are being sold, then they are insulting their workers."
He alleged that senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is insulting the brave Indian soldiers by making irresponsible statements about the India-China border dispute.
Who is Kailash Vijayvargiya?: From an Indore mayor to newsmaker
Born on May 13, 1956 to Shankardayal Vijayvargiya in Indore, Kailash Vijayvargiya graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and later earned an LLB. Vijayvargiya is married to Asha Vijayvargiya. They have two sons, including politician Akash.

Vijayvargiya entered politics through Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in 1975. From becoming a corporator of the Indore Municipal Corporation in 1983 and the state secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Vijayvargiya became the first directly elected mayor of Indore Municipal Corporation in 2000.
By 2013, he had won five assembly elections: 1990, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013 - never losing an assembly election.
Among his big achievements that catapulted him to the post of the national general secretary in 2015 is the Haryana state assembly election campaign in 2014 - when BHP's tally went from 4 to 47 seats. He has served as cabinet minister in Madhya minister in different capacities under the leadership of Babulal Gaur and Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The controversy man

For his statements, Kailash Vijayvargiya has often remained in controversy. He was under the spotlight when he said Vyapam was a "chutput scam". From 'Shah Rukh Khan lives in India, but his heart is in Pakistan' to the 'maryada controversy' (amid sexual violence against women), he has been a newsmaker.
With agency inputs